Pinky the Chihuahua: How I came to be
by Boolia
Summary: I told you about how Perry became part of the OWCA. Now's here Pinky's tale on how he became one.
1. Prologue

Pinky the Chihuahua: How I Came to Be

Prologue

"Are you ready for this, Pinky?" Isabella asked me, following the kennel I was in on down the conveyer belt with the rest of the luggage being loaded onto the plane. I barked excitedly in my cage. "Just think, when we land, we'll see my Dad again. We'll finally be able to spend time together rather then talking over video-chat. Won't that be exciting?" I barked again. She laughed. "I know; I can't _wait_!" I was starting up the incline towards the rubber flaps at the end of the turnabout. Isabella waved cheerily "Well, talk with you later, Pinky!" I yipped a goodbye, and she was gone. The rubber flaps parted and I was released into the bright Danville sunshine. The sound of plane turbines and rush of jets taking off deafened me until I was dumped with a light bump into the baggage compartment.

"So Pinky," Perry said to me from his cage, which plopped down right next to mine. Biff, in a zip- lock bag filled with water was by his side. Perry and I both had our squeaky toys in front of us for the ride, and in case we got anxious from turbulence. I had my squeaky bone and Perry had Mr. Squeaks, his toy duck. "I bet you're excited about returning to your home country."

"You bet!" I responded. "It's not Australia, but it sure is something!"

"How do you know? You haven't been to Australia."

"Nor have I." Biif put in.

"Well, when we arrive in Mexico; you guys will _love_ it, I just know it!"

"I can't wait." Perry said with a warm smile.

"Nether can I." Biff spoke. "The sooner, the better."

"It sure seems strange that Buford stuck you in here in a plastic bag." I commented. "It hardly seems like it'd comply with shipping regulations. How'd he get you past security?"

_" He stuck me in his pocket;_ you know Buford loves me! So much that he didn't want to leave me behind. And my owner doesn't care about rules, as long as he doesn't get caught. 'Rules are meant to be broken', that's his motto."

"He has a point there." Perry said to me, he was smirking, disapprovingly. "That's Buford for ya," Biff then changed the subject.

"I'm surprised that you two aren't being given shots or something." He turned to Perry. "And Perry, I'm surprised that even though you been to Africa, Paris, London, Hawaii and Australia, not once have you been checked for fleas or foreign diseases. Fortunately for me, I don't need to worry about anything like that." He puffed his little goldfish chest insufferably.

"We've both had our shots as part of OWCA policy." Perry explained to the fish with a shrug. "Agents traveling abroad are given inoculations,"

"It wasn't fun, there's a _LOT_ of needles involved." I said, shivering at the memory.

Then the plane started to move as the PA system announced the safety instructions.

_"Ugh_!" Biff groaned. "Can't these humans get _on_ with it? Why aren't we in the air yet?"

"They have to wait for the other planes." Perry explained. "Then the plane will take off off the runway and then we'll be on our way."

"Well, they better hurry, that's what I say."

Then the plane went faster…and faster! We tried to stay in our spots. Perry grabbed Biff's bag before it could roll on back to be crushed under a LOT of luggage. We could feel the pressure increase as the plane took off.

It was true! We were really going to Mexico; I couldn't believe it!

"How long until we get there?" Biff wanted to know.

"A few hours." Perry answered, a little annoyed. "We'll be there before you know it."

"Well, this is just great! With the humans being entertained up front with their carryon portable devices, books, magazines, in-flight TVs, toys and such, what does a fish get? Absolutely _nothing_! "

"Perry and I got our squeaky toys." I said to him, taking the squeaky bone in my mouth and making it squeak to prove my point.

"Pinky," Perry said to me. "I don't think that's helping." I spat the fake bone out of my mouth.

"Oh."

"Can't a fish get some decent entertainment around here?" Biff continued. Perry looked at me.

"Pinky," He told me. "Why don't you tell us the story of how you became interested in the OWCA and how you became an agent?"

"That's a great idea, Perry!" I agreed. "Are you going to tell me yours?"

"I'll tell you mine on the way back."

"Okay, well you two get comfortable. This is going to be a long story."

"Well, this will be a long flight!" Biff said. "So, get on with it!"

"Okay." I laid down to get comfortable. Perry did the same.

"It all started when I was a pup…"


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_"GET OUT OF HERE YOU STEAK-THIEVING DOGS_!" The restaurant manager yelled at us. He chased us down the alley. My mama, brother, Diego, sister, Ana, and I all ran as fast as our paws could carry us, steaks in our mouths.

We ran to the alleyway on the other side of the street, dodging the cars and hearing the angry shouts of drivers and honks of cars as we went. When we were on the other side, the manager shook an angry fist at us.

"I'LL GET YOU DOGS YET!" He threatened. He then went back inside his restaurant.

_"Okay kids_," Mama told us. "Eat up." We gobbled up our steaks.

My friends, Enrique and Pedro then came up to us.

"Hey, Gabriel," Enrique said (Yes, my name was Gabriel before it got changed to Pinky). "Want to play?" I looked at mama.

"Can I?" My mother nodded.

"Be back home when I call." I started to run with my friends when my mama cleared her throat.

"Forgetting something, dear?" She asked.

"_Oh yeah_." I ran back to my mom and cuddled up affectionately. "Love you, Mama!"

"Love you too, dear." We then rubbed noses and I was off with my friends.

"So, what are we going to do?" I wanted to know.

"Enrique found a great place to play futbol!" Pedro explained.

"Let me guess," I said. "Is it in an alley where we kick the can and use the walls for goals?"

_"Nope!"_ Enrique said. I was then puzzled.

"You mean you found an_ actual_ futbol field and _actual_ goals with _actual_ balls?"

_"Yup_!" He answered. I was puzzled again.

"But aren't there humans practicing and games there?"

"It's Sunday. Now, my mami, papi and I pass there every Sunday and every Sunday, the field is empty. And if we're lucky, usually the coach forgets one ball and leaves it on the field out in the open."

"You sure? _All _day?"

"We'll soon see."

We walked by Antonio, the English Mastiff. _Grr_, Antonio. He brags about how big he is and teases us about being small. He also calls me 'Shakes' because of my uncontrollable shaking condition I had when I was born. Ana and Diego also used to tease me about it but Mama told them it was just something I was born with and can't help. Diego and Ana never complained about me shaking after that. He was outside behind his iron gate his squeaky toy, a hamburger, by his side. His large doghouse was behind him. He got up as we approached.

"_Well, well, well_," he began. "Look who we have here, Shakes and the shrimps. Where are you going?"

"We're going over to the Futbal field and play." I informed him.

"Well, last I heard there was a game going on there."

"But it's Sunday." Enrique said. "Whenever my family and I pass there on Sundays, there're no games there."

"Well, there is a game on there today." He then chucked. "Hey, good thing you shrimps aren't playing basketball. You have to be tall to play. I should know, my owner plays basketball. You shrimps wouldn't stand a chance!"

_"Hey_!" I snapped. "For your information, my mama says that 'good things come in small packages'."

"And my mama says 'you're big as you feel.' Pedro added.

_"Whatever._" Antonio said, lying on his paws. "I still say you're too small."

I growled at him. I was tired of how he thinks of us because of our size.

"Let's just _go_, Gabriel." Pedro said to me. "Forget about it."

"But how _can_ we forget about it? It's not _our_ fault that we're small."

"Come on, we know." My friends started for the field. I started after them and looked back with a glare. If only I was big enough, then I'd show him!

"_Gabriel_!" My friends called.

_"Coming_!" I called back and ran to catch up to them.

When we got there, there was a game going on, just as Antonio said there would be.

_"Shoot_!" Pedro said. He looked at Enrique. "_Enrique,_ I thought you said there _wasn't_ going to be a game today."

"Well, we didn't watch the field every single _minute_." He admitted. "Maybe they'll be done soon. Let's go wait under the bleachers."

"Well okay Enrique, you better be right." He and Enrique went for the bleachers. I was about to follow, when someone grabbed me. I looked at my captive.

"Where'd you come from, little fella?" The man asked. "Do you have a collar?" He noticed me shaking, "Why are you shaking? Why are you shaking?" He was skinny, tall and had a mustache (I could tell you more but it's hard when you can only see in black and white). When he saw that I didn't have a collar, he looked at me again. "Well, this game is almost over. Do you want to watch the end of the game with me?"

_ "Hey, Ricardo_!" A second man said. He was also tall.

"Look Raoul, I found this Chihuahua here." He showed me to his friend. He had hair all around and a little beard. "I didn't see a collar. Must be a stray. I'm going to the pound after the game and drop him off." I struggled in my captor's grasp, barking madly. _LET ME GO, LET ME GO! _

"Isn't your wife and daughter coming for your daughter's birthday?" Raoul asked. "Why don't you give her a dog? I think she'll really like that."

"Sorry Raoul, I don't think she and Viv can afford a dog. I'll have to get Isabella something else."

"Well, okay."

_"Whoa,_ don't worry, little fella." My captor said, patting my head as I still struggled. "We'll find you a home." _No_! I already _have_ a home! I struggled and struggled.

"I think he want to watch the game." Ricardo's friend suggested. Ricardo chuckled.

"I think you're right." I barked again. _No_! If you could only understand me, you'd know that's the _opposite_ of what I want!

"Alica will be surprised." Ricardo's friend put in.

"Right you are!" The men then went to the bleachers. Pedro and Enrique looked out and looked terrified when they saw me. 'Help me!' I mouthed at them.

When the men sat in their spots, Ricardo sat me in his lap. I tried to escape, but he just patted me, forcing me to stay.

When the game was over, everybody started to pack up. Ricardo set me beside him. This was my chance of escape. When Ricardo wasn't paying attention to me, I jumped off the bleachers and ran to my friends. They wagged their tails when they saw me.

"_Gabriel!"_ Enrique cheered. "You escaped!"

"We thought you were a goner!" Pedro added. Then he had a question on his face. "Do you still want to stay for Futbol?"

"Yeah." I replied. "The humans are just packing up. We can wait, hopefully there'll be a ball out that we can play with." Pedro looked unsure.

"Well, okay." We looked out at Ricardo and his friend, who seemed to be looking for me. A little girl then ran to them.

"Did you see me make that goal, papi?" She asked Ricardo's friend. He looked at her.

"I sure did, sweetheart!" He told her. She smiled.

"I don't know where that dog went, Raoul." Ricardo said to him. The girl looked confused.

"_Dog?_" She questioned. "What dog?"

"Never mind dear." Her father told her. "I think that first goal deserves ice cream, don't you?" The girl's eyes lit up.

_"YEAH!"_ And like a bullet, she rushed off. Ricardo continued on looking for me.

_"Ricardo_," Raoul began. "Forget it, let's just leave. A dogcatcher will find him and he'll go to a nice home." Ricardo gave up and looked at his friend.

'You're right." He agreed. "Let's go." And with that, the two men left and went after the girl. Ricardo took one last look to see if he could find me.

"Well puppy, wherever you are, I hope you're safe." And with that, he left as well.

We peeked out of the bleachers. Enrique trotted out and sniffed, seeing if he could pick up a human's sent. He went out to look.

A few minutes later, he looked at us.

_"Guys_," He told us. "The coast is clear." Pedro and I went out from under the bleachers. We looked at the ball at the center of the field. "Great; looks like the coach forgot again."

"Last one there is a rotten cat!" Pedro said. He bounded for the ball. We bounded after him.

"Oh no you _don't_!" Enrique called from behind. "I'm not going to be a rotten cat!"

"Neither am I!" I shouted. We ran and ran. When we got closer, we jumped for the ball and I pushed it with my nose.

"I got it!" I shouted. I pushed the ball closer and closer to the goal box.

_"No_!" Enrique disagreed; He pushed me, playfully, forcing the ball to separate from me. He pushed the ball to the other goal box. I ran and shoved Enrique aside and pushed the ball to my goal again.

Pedro tried to shove me aside but I dodged. I beelined Enrique as well. I ran closer and closer to my goal and with a mighty push of my nose…pushed it in!

"_GOAL_!" I yelled with joy, my tail wagging like mad. "And the crowd goes wild!"

"Okay, let's do it again until coach comes back!" Enrique told us. And with that, I pushed the ball back towards the center, my friends following.

"I can't believe I forgot the ball again." We heard someone approach. We looked up. It was the coach!

_"Hide_!" Enrique warned. Enrique didn't need to say that, we ran for the bleachers as soon as we saw the man.

We peeked out to see the man pick up the ball and put it away in the bag. We saw him hoist the bag full of futbols. He shook his head.

"I just can't believe it, I just can't believe it." He then left.

We went out again.

_"Well_," Enrique began. "Let's go and see if we can do something else." We agreed and went after him.

We strolled the Mexican sidewalks.

"I can't believe it." Enrique said. "We been walking for…for…well, for a long time. There must be _something_ us dogs can do!"

"We better stop soon." Pedro complained. "My paws are _killing _me!"

We then felt like something or someone was behind us. We looked up and gulped. It was the man with the net! He was short and skinny and had his hat on. Mama always warned my siblings and I to fear him. He was the one who captured my father and drove of. We never saw Papi again. There was writing on the truck that we could never read, but we knew it was something bad.

_"Well, well, well_," He said. "If it isn't the Chihuahua that shakes a lot and his two comrades." The man swung his net at us. We dodged and ran as fast as our paws could carry us. The man chased after us.

"You won't outrun me!" He yelled at us, swinging his net from left to right. We ran and ran.

_"GUYS_!" We then heard Pedro yell. We looked at him and gasped. He was trying to get his foot out of a crack on the sidewalk. "Guys, help me! I'm stuck! _Hurry_, before the bad guy gets me!" He then got his foot unstuck.

"Never mind; I'm good!" We started off again. Enrique and I made it behind a dumpster when we looked back and halted. Pedro wasn't behind us!

"Where's Pedro?" I wanted to know. We then heard a frantic yip and ran to it and gasped. The man had caught Pedro in his net!

_"Gotcha_!" The man said. He must've ran too fast for his hat was now on the ground. Pedro tried to climb out. The man laughed.

"You can try all you want dog, but I got you!" He went to his truck and threw him in the back. "I don't know where your amigos are but I might find them later. Maybe after I'll take you to the pound, I'll go looking again." Before Pedro could try to escape, the man shut the doors. He laughed and went in the front of his vehicle.

_"PEDRO_!" I screamed. I ran towards the truck. It drove off and I coughed as it spat out its smoke, but I didn't care, I just kept on running.

_"Gabriel_!" Enrique shouted. "_Stop!_" I stopped to catch my breath. Enrique caught up with me. "It's no use. He's gone now." I then felt tears stroll down my face. "I'm sorry. Our amigo is gone. We better tell his mama." I then looked determined.

_"No."_ I said in a serious tone, as he was about to leave. He paused to look at me.

_"What?"_

"No, we _can't _let him take him."

"But Gabriel, we can't go for him. What if he gets us too?"

_"Look Enrique_, that same man captured my father; now I'm not about to let him take Pedro."

"_But…but_…"

"He's our _friend _Enrique. He would do the same for us. Now, if you want to be a scaredy cat then _fine_! But not me; I'm going to get Pedro back whatever it takes." I was about to go when I heard Enrique sigh.

"You're right; amigos stick together. But how are we ever going to find him?" That man left in his truck."

"_Hmmm_, you're right." I thought about this when I saw something from the corner of my eye. It was the man's hat.

"Hey, it's the man's hat!" I went to it and sniffed. Enrique followed.

"What it is with these humans and leaving things behind?" He wondered out loud.

_"I got it_!" I said. "I know where that man went with Pedro."

_"What? Where?" _

"Follow me!" And with that, Enrique and I bounded towards wherever my nose picked up the bad man's scent.

On the way, we passed by Camille, the marble Bengal cat. When she saw us, she pounced down from her tree branch.

"Where are you off to, boys?" She asked, licking her paw.

"Buzz off Camille!" Enrique told her. "We don't have time for you today. We have to find Pedro." Camille then saw that Pedro was gone.

"Oh yeah, aren't you guys one short? Where is your friend?"

"He's been taken by the man with a net who drives a truck." She stopped licking her paw.

"You mean he went to the dog pound? The same place where he took your father, Gabriel?" I was stunned. So, _that's_ where Papi was taken!

"You _know _the place?" I wanted to know. She continued licking her paw.

"I might and I might not." I growled at her.

"Look Camille, you're lucky that we don't have time to chase you. We have a more important issue on our paws; maybe some other time. Now, as you excuse us, we got a friend to save!" I turned to Enrique. "Come on Enrique!" Enrique and I rushed on.

"I hope you save your friend before it's too late!" Camille called after us.

Before it's too late? What did she mean by that? I didn't care about that now; I just kept running.

We approached a squareish building. I went up the steps and sniffed the door.

"This is it, Enrique!" I told him. "Pedro's in this building."

"Then let's go in!" Said Enrique. I pawed at the door.

"I can't! The door won't open!"

"Then bark! Maybe he'll open it for us." And with that, we barked and barked. We then saw the doorknob twist.

_"HIDE!"_ Enrique cried. I jumped off the step and Enrique and I hid in the nearby bushes.

The man opened the door and looked out.

_"Hello? Hello?_" He then went out. He whistled. "_Doggies?" _He whistled again._ Doggies_? Where _are_ you?" He kept on whistling and calling out 'doggies!'

_"Quick_!" I said. "Before he goes back in!" Enrique and I ran in.

There were several rooms from left to right.

"Pedro can be in any one of these rooms." Enrique said.

We then heard sad whimperings and dog cries

"I think he's in that room." I said about the room where we heard the noises. We went into the room (For some reason, the door to this one wasn't locked).

When we were in, we skidded to a halt. We gasped in horror at what we saw.

Sad dogs in cages everywhere you looked! It was like living in a nightmare, only this wasn't a nightmare; this was reality! Everywhere I looked, tears were in the dogs' eyes. Some of them were howling in melancholy manners. It was a horrible sight!

"This is terrible!" Enrique said. "Keeping dogs locked up in cages like this; it just isn't right." I then marched up to a sad English Springer Spaniel puppy.

"Where's Pedro?" I asked.

_"Who?_ The Springer Spaniel questioned. I could tell in her voice that she had been crying. We then heard a soft voice.

_"Gabriel_? Is that you? Is Enrique here too?" We then rushed to the cage where the voice came from and couldn't believe it. We wagged our tails with joy. It was Pedro!

"_PEDRO_!" Enrique and I cried.

_"Shhhh_!" Pedro whispered, shushing us. "Quiet guys; he'll hear you!"

_"Sorry_!" Enrique whispered.

"How do we get you out?" I asked in a whisper.

"There are these things called keys." Pedro informed us. "The dogcatcher used them to get me in here and they can get me out of here." He pointed with his paw. "On the wall. _See_?" We looked to where he was pointing at and saw the 'keys.'

"Don't worry." I assured him. "We'll get you out in a jiffy." I went under the keys and jumped, trying to knock them down.

"Of course," Enrique started when he saw me in my struggles. "It'll help if one of us could reach it."

_"Enrique_!" I said to him, giving up. "Let me stand on you. See if I can do it that way." Enrique sighed.

"Okay, but I don't think it'll work." He trotted over and stood under the keys. I climbed on top of him.

Enrique was right. Even with me, jumping on his back, I still couldn't get the keys.

"Told you it wouldn't work." Enrique put in. I stopped, giving up and sighed.

"What are we going to do?"

"You can try using that stool." The springer spaniel suggested. "Or you can set us all free by…" I bounded up.

_"Stool_?" I wanted to know. "_Where_?" We then saw the 'stool' next to the keys. "That's _perfect!"_ I went over to it and started pushing it with all my might. "Enrique! Can you help me out?" Enrique went by my side and with teamwork; we managed to push it to where we wanted it.

I climbed up the stool and looked down at an exhausted Enrique. I smiled lamely at him. _"Um, Enrique_? I need your help again." Enrique did another sigh and climbed up until he was by my side.

I stood on top of him again and jumped up and down. We then heard footsteps.

_"Hurry!"_ Pedro shouted to us. "He's coming!"

I did one mighty leap and…took it off the hinges with my mouth. We hopped off the stool. I bounded for Pedro's cage and tried different keys to unlock it. The steps grew louder and louder.

_"Hurry_!" Pedro repeated. "He's getting closer!"

I had just unlocked the cage when the man came in. He sneered at us.

_"YOU_!" He said, He got his net from off the hook and started chasing us. Pedro, Enrique and I ran under his legs. We had just got to the door when I realized something.

_"Wait_!" I said.

"There's no _time_ to wait!" Enrique said to me. "We got to go, _now_!"

_"No;_ if Camille's right, my papi is here."

"Gabriel; there's no _time_!" I ran from cage to cage, hoping papi would be in one of them.

_"PAPI! PAPI! PAPI; WHERE ARE YOU? PAPI_!" I was yelling at the top of my lungs but to the human, I was barking my head off.

"Quit your barking you!" The dogcatcher shouted. He was about to grab me when Enrique pushed me to skedaddle.

"Come _on_!" I decided he was right and ran after him and Pedro.

When we were outside, I took one final glance at the pound. The dogcatcher got into his truck, started the roaring sound and drove towards me.

_"GABRIEL_!" Enrique shouted. I continued running after my friends.

When we got to where my family and I were staying, my friends and I went our separate ways.

_ "See ya_!" Enrique told us as we separated.

I ran and ran. I saw my sister. When she saw me, she rushed towards me.

"Oh, thank _goodness_!" She said. "Gabriel; where _were_ you? Mama is going to _kill _you! Don't you know how worried we were? We thought a car ran over you or something!" I lowered my head in shame. I was in hot water now.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to worry you."

"Well you _did;_ mama's going to freak!" She looked up as she heard something. I did too. Mama was talking to two German Shepherds. When she saw me; she said something to them and stormed to us. Her face told me she was mad. I lowered my head in shame again. I was in _definitely_ in hot water!

_ "WHERE WERE YOU_?!" She demanded. "I went to Pedro's and Enrique's parents when you didn't come home. Did you see me talking to the police's dogs just now?! We were worried sick!"

"I'm sorry mama. I was at the pound." She gasped.

"The _pound_?! What in heaven's sake were you doing there? And what exactly is the pound?"

"It's an awful place where they keep dogs in cages. Pedro accidently got taken there, so Enrique and I went there to rescue him. I know we should have told you."

"Told me is _right_! You are in _big_ trouble, mister! You could have been locked in a cage as well and we may never see you again." Ana looked confused.

"Is that where he took Papi?" She asked. I looked at her and nodded.

"I think so."

"Well, did you find him?" I was about to answer when mama looked stern at Ana.

_ "Ana_," She told her sternly. "This doesn't concern you. Go tell Diego it's time for bed."

_ "But mama…"_

_"Ana_!" She sighed and trotted off. Mama looked at me again.

"I think Papi might be at the pound, mama. Maybe tomorrow we can go over there and look for him."

"Gabriel; we are _not_ going to the pound."

"But what if he _is _there? We could save him and the family reunited!" I wagged my tail and felt proud of my idea. "We won't be sad anymore!"

_"Gabriel_, I know you want him back; we all do; but we can't go, it's too risky. And besides, you're not going anywhere because you're grounded."

"_What? Grounded? But…but_…"

_"Gabriel_." I sighed, _"Fine_!" She smiled.

"Good, now come on; it's bed."

"Yes, mama." I followed her.

"Hey Gabriel," My brother said as I got ready for bed, trotting over to me. "I heard you got in trouble with mama. So, what did you do?"

_"Diego_!" Mama shouted to him. "Leave your brother alone and go to bed!"

"_Yes mama_!" He called to her. He then looked at me again. "Well, night bro!" He went off. I lowered my head to my paws and went to sleep.

That night, I had a nightmare. It was a flashback to when Papi was taken from us by the dogcatcher.

_"PAPI!"_ My siblings and I shouted.

"_CARLOS_!" Mama yelled in my nightmare as we saw the net scoop him up. The dogcatcher threw him in the truck and drove of. "PAPI!" We ran after it. We stopped and coughed at it spat out gas. We looked at the disembarking truck mourning that we might never see him again.

I woke with a start, breathing heavily (even more than usual). I was then determined. I know that Mama told me not to go to the pound and that I was grounded; but I had to know if Papi's there and if he's still alive. I _had_ to no matter what.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Good morning, Gabriel." I heard my papi say. Wait a minute, my _papi_? I opened my eyes and saw…my father! I shot up on all fours.

_"PAPI_!" I shouted with joy. We nudged noses. "I thought you went to that awful dog pound."

"I escaped, because I knew my family would miss me."

"Mama says we might've never see you again." Papi chuckled.

"Well, what does she know? Don't worry Gabriel; I'll always be with you. I'll always be with you…I'll always be with you."

_"_Gabriel," I heard my sister say. "Gabriel, _Gabriel!_" I then woke up with a start. I looked up at her.

"Come on Gabriel; it's time to get our breakfast." She trotted off. I looked around and sighed sadly. It was all a dream. I wanted so bad to be woken up by my father like he used to. But I guess it was all too good to be true.

I then bolted to my feet with determination. Which is why Operation: Find Papi is still my number one thing on my to do list!

_"GABRIEL_!" My sister called. I trotted towards them… right after breakfast.

For breakfast, Mama had snatched us steaks from the market. Mama, Diego and Ana started gobbling on theirs. While I ate mine, I remembered the time Papi taught me how to snatch up my very own steak.

"Remember son," Papi whispered to me. We were at a corner by a shop. In front of us was a steak booth. The man who was managing it put the last of them on the table. "Patience is key. You got to wait for the right opportunity to make your move. Now when I say so, we steal the steaks and run as fast as we can. Got it?"

"_Got it!"_ I said. He smiled.

"Perfect, now, wait for it." He picked up a newspaper. "Wait for it." He sat down on his chair. "Wait for it." He began reading it. "_NOW!_"

And with that, we ran up and grabbed the steaks in our mouths. The man noticed this and dropped his newspaper as he bolted to his feet. We ran for it.

_"HEY_!" The man yelled at us as we ran. "_COME BACK WITH MY STEAKS!" _

As we ran, Papi and I looked at each other. If a steak weren't in my mouth, I would've smiled. I think my father would've smiled too.

Before I knew it, my steak was all gone. I looked at my mother and siblings. They were still eating. If I wanted to sneak off and go look for my father without letting them know, this was my chance. I sighed, knowing I was grounded and shouldn't go, but I feeling like I must; I snuck off.

_"Pedro_!" I called to him when I came to where he was staying. "Pedro!" I then saw him. I bounded over to him. "Pedro, ready to go?" Pedro cocked his head.

"_Go_?" He wanted to know. "Go where?"

"Go back to the pound!" Pedro gasped. He backed up a little.

"The pound? You saw how awful that place was. Why ever do you want to go back there?"

"I know, but I have to go back. My papi might be there."

"But what if he's not?"

"It doesn't hurt to check."

"Look Gabriel, after what went on yesterday, I don't think I should. And as your friend, I advise you not to, as well. It's too dangerous."

_"But…but…Pedro_; I _have_ to! I have to see if my father's there and rescue him!"

"Sorry Gabriel; I don't want to risk it. I hope we can still be friends." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"_Fine,_ stay if you want to; but I'm still going. I bet Enrique will accompany me." I went off.

Enrique couldn't go because he was grounded and had to stay home (like I should be). He also said that it was super risky and like Pedro, advised me not to go. I just ignored him and went off. I was a Chihuahua on a mission and I wasn't about to be a scaredy cat and back off now. This was just too important.

I passed by Antonio who was behind his iron fence again. He put his massive paws on the gate as I got closer.

"_Hey Shakes_!" He said. "Where're you going?"

"The pound." I told him.

"The _pound_? What did you do? Don't you know it's like dog jail?"

"I'm aware and I didn't do anything wrong. I'm just going to rescue my papi." He gasped.

"Your papi's there? I guess that's why you're a troublemaker." I growled at him.

"My father didn't do anything wrong!"

"Oh, _really_? Why is he there then?" I lowered my head and my tail and ears drooped.

"I don't know."

"Well, you better hurry before it's too late." I looked up again.

"That's what Camille said. What the heck does it mean? 'Before it's too late.' I then gasped, realizing what it meant. "You don't mean…"

"_Yup!_" He said as he began scratching at a fly. "If the dog is so bad or nobody wants him, they take him into the back room for… _The Sleep!_" I looked at him like he was crazy.

"Why is that horrible?"

"_Estupido_! Don't you know _anything_? Once you're put to sleep, your life is finished, ended, kaput! You can't come back." I gasped.

"_No, no_! That's _murder_! They wouldn't do such a horrible thing, would they?" He nodded.

"_Yup_! Sad as it is, it's the truth. You better hurry up or they might do the same thing to your papi, if they hadn't done it already." I narrowed my eyes at him.

_"No_; you're lying! My papi's a living _creature_, like all dogs and other animals….even cats and humans! I can't believe it; I _won't_! My father is alive; you'll see!" He was about to say something when I ran off. "_You'll see!" _

I found my way back to the pound. I was about to go in when the door opened. I bounded behind the bushes. It was the dogcatcher! He went in his truck and took off.

Once he headed towards his truck, I raced up the steps and went in. Once I found the room where all the cages were, I began looking for Papi.

_"PAPI_!" I called. "_PAPI!_" When I neared the springer spaniel, she put her paws on the cage.

"Hey, it's you again!" She said. "Still looking for your papi?" I looked at her, my tail wagging.

"You know where he is?"

"Well, a Chihuahua came here a few months ago, but I haven't talked to him." I looked down, drooping my ears and tail.

"Oh."

"You don't mean Carlos, do you?" A Scottish terrier spoke to me in the next cage. I perked up again and went closer to his cage.

"Yes; Carlo's is my papi's name. Did he speak to you?"

"Yes, he spoke a lot about his family back home. His wife and their three puppies; Ana, Diego and Gabriel." I jumped up with excitement.

"That's my papi! My name is Gabriel."

"Oh, that's good news. He misses you, you know. You, your mama and your siblings are all he talked about. Good thing you came when you did because tomorrow he was scheduled for 'The Sleep'."

"Oh, don't mention that awful thing. Do you know where he is?"

"Yes." He pointed his paw a few cages down.

"Gracias!" I told him and bounded off. I barked, waking up the other dogs.

_"PAPI; PAPI_!" I then saw a Chihuahua in a cage. It was my papi!

_"Gabriel_!" He said. "I never thought I'd see you again. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too papi." He then looked mad.

"You shouldn't have come here you know; it's too dangerous. Your mama must be worried sick."

"I know but I had to see you. I couldn't let them…you know."

"Si, I know. So, how's your mami and your brother and sister?"

"They're good. They miss you too." He nodded.

"I imagine so. You know, I thought I saw you here yesterday."

"I was. Enrique and I came here to rescue Pedro."

"I _knew_ it was your guys! I tried to call you; I guess you didn't hear."

"Yeah, I guess. But I'm going to bust you out of here papi!"

"Do you know how?" I nodded.

"Yes. I'll go get the keys!" I raced off for the stool.

After I pushed the stool, I realized something. _Aw cats_! Without Enrique to stand on, I was too short to reach the keys.

"Use the broom, son." Papi told me. I looked back at him.

"The _broom?_" What the heck was that?

"The big long narrow thing with the prickly things on top that looks like hair." Papi explained. I looked around and spotted the 'broom.'

_"Got it_!" I inched the broom under the keys with my nose and got…the keys.

"_Got it!"_ I flipped the broom on its side and grabbed the keys in my mouth.

_"Okay_," Papi coached me. "Now, bring the keys here and let me out before Jose comes back." I looked at him.

_"Jose_?" I questioned.

"The dogcatcher. Trust me son, you don't want him catching you here." I nodded.

"I know. Now, this may take a while, papi."

"Well, don't take too long, son. Jose may come any minute." I put the keys in the lock, trying to find the right one.

"No he won't. He just went out when I got here. We got plenty of time."

"I got it!" I said as soon as I opened the cage. "You're free!" Papi stepped out and smiled at me.

"You were fantastico son!" I wagged my tail with joy.

Suddenly the door opened. We looked. It was Jose! Our eyes widened, what the heck was he doing here?! He sneered and pointed a finger at us.

_"You!" _He then noticed papi and looked even madder. "What are _you_ doing out of your cage?!"

We then shot off.

"Oh no you don't!" He charged at us. We ran and ran.

_"OOH, OOH_!" The springer spaniel piped up. "Are you going to press the…"

"No time!" I told her as Papi and I went under Jose's legs and went out of the room.

We ran outside where we saw the man's truck. We ran past it. Jose got in and drove after us.

We ran out in the streets. Angry honks and shouts rang out. Then suddenly…

_"SON_!" Papi yelled. _"LOOK OUT_!" I looked around and gasped. A car was headed right towards me! I tried to run faster, but the car was too fast.

I then was lifted off the ground. I looked up; Papi was carrying me in his mouth.

We were almost to the sidewalk when the car closer to the sidewalk hit us. I was flung into the air. I then nosedived to the sidewalk!

_OW_! I rubbed my nose with my paw. I then looked at the street. _Papi!_ I then gasped as I saw the horrible sight of my father lying motionless in the street. A gathering of people surrounded him. _No_! I ran up to him; the people letting me pass. I put a paw on his chest.

"_Papi_?" I began to whimper as tears stung my eyes. "_Papi!_" I then cried as tears ran down my face.

I then felt something pat me on the back. I looked up; it was Ricardo.

"Is this one of your parents?" He asked me. "I'm so sorry." Tears continued down my face. I couldn't believe it; I rescued my papi from the dog pound and now he's… gone. I then began to howl like the pitiful howls I heard from some of the dogs at the dog pound yesterday. Ricardo then stopped patting me and withdrew his hand.

_"Give me the dog_!" I heard the dogcatcher say. I saw that he had bumped some people out of the way. I backed up as he advanced towards me, net in hand. He was about to swing when a hand stopped his hand in midair, from going any further. It was Ricardo.

_"Jose,"_ Ricardo said to him. "_Por favor_, have a heart. This doggie's parent has just died. Can't you see? He's in mourning."

"I don't care!" The man shouted. "That dog has escaped me twice and he won't a third time, this dog's mine!" He shoved Ricardo aside and headed towards me. I shook with fear.

_"Here doggie, doggie!"_ He said. "Let's have a nice visit to the dog pound, shall we?" He swung his net; it missed.

_"RUN_ DOG!" Ricardo told me, getting up. He motioned me to run. "This is your chance. Run as fast as your tiny paws can carry you." He didn't need to ask me twice. As the man's net was about to go down on me; I bulleted out of there as fast as I could. The dogcatcher ran after me, swinging his net like a madman.

"_YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS, DOG!"_ He swore his revenge from behind me as I kept running, not looking back. "I _WILL_ CAPTURE YOU AND BRING YOU TO THE POUND; _I SWEAR IT_!"

I ran all the way home. I stopped and looked around. Where were Mama, Diego and Ana?

_"Mama_?" I asked. "_Ana, Diego? MAMA, ANA, DIEGO_!" I looked and looked but couldn't find them anywhere! I decided to look outside our home. I ran further.

I looked for a long time. I was about to give up hope when suddenly I heard gunshots. I looked up and saw…Mama, Ana and Diego! They were running with steaks in their mouths. They were running from the same man who we'd been stealing steaks from…and he had a rifle and was shooting it!

_"MAMA, ANA, DIEGO_!" I ran towards them.

I was about to jump on the gun to prevent another shot when…BANG! My eyes then widened in horror as I saw Mama, Diego and Ana go down. _NOOOOOOOOOO!_

The man picked up the steaks from their mouths. He then grabbed a mobile device from his pocket, flipped it open and called 'animal control.' I ran to them.

I curled up next to Mama and cried.

"_Gosh!"_ Perry told me. "Pinky, I'm so sorry. Seeing your father getting killed and then seeing your mama and your siblings get killed like that, I had no idea. You must have been traumatized."

"I was deeply saddened." I agreed sadly. "I had lost everyone I cared about."

"What about your friends?" Biff asked, sniffing his tears and wiping them with his fins.

"I never saw them again." I told him sadly. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. The story doesn't end there."

"Well continue. I don't want Buford seeing me like this as he gets me from the Baggage Claim."

"Okay." They looked at me as they waited for me as I continued my tale.

I cried until I was scooped up in Jose's net!

"_Ha_!" He laughed. "_Caught you_; you won't escape me now!"

He carried me off as I now saw cars with flashing lights on their tops. Men in uniform hopped out. A uniformed man locked the shooter's wrists in a metal contraption with giant hoops on the side. He looked at me with a scowl. Jose then threw me in and locked the back doors. I didn't try to escape; I was just too sad. I was thinking to myself. Oh, Gabriel, _why _didn't you listen and just stay at home? _Why_ didn't you save your papi when you were with Pedro and Enrique? Would it be much different? Would Papi, Mama, Diego and Ana still be alive? _Why_ does life have to be so cruel like this, _why, why, why?_

I curled myself on the ground and continued crying.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When we arrived at the pound, Jose opened the back doors. I looked at him.

_ "Aw_! Why so down in the dumps? It is because you're at the pound? Well don't worry, a car won't hurt you here!" He grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and carried me inside.

He opened a cage next to the springer spaniel's and threw me in. He shut it and locked it. He then put the key on the hook and went away. I went back to my sad mood, laying my head on my paws.

_"Oh no!"_ I heard the springer spaniel speak. "He captured you; _how?"_

"Por favor." I told her meekly, looking up at her. "I don't want to talk about it." I laid my head back down on my paws. "I just want to be left alone."

"Oh, sorry. You're in a bad mood. Perfectly understandable." Tears strolled down my face again as the car and the shooting scenes played in my mind.

_"Hey Shakes_!" A familiar voice greeted me. I looked out. It was Antonio.

"Oh, hey Antonio." I said back. Before I could go back to sulking, I sprang on all fours. _Antonio?_! I looked at him in question.

"Antonio, what are _you_ doing here?! Don't you know that this is the pound? You said it yourself; this is doggie jail."

"I'm visiting my owner's father on a surprise visit." I was shocked.

"You live with Jose?"

_"Yup!" _

"You never told me about it."

"I wanted to surprise you. Course, I never suspected surprising you _here_. So, how's your dad?" I hung my head.

"I don't want to talk about it."

_ "Aw!_ Did Jose have to put your ol' dog down? I warned you about this Shakes! I'm so sorry, but that's what's it like sometimes when you're at the pound. It might be your turn someday if you're not lucky."

"Just leave me alone."

_"Boy_, I'm lucky that Jose and his family took me in when they did, otherwise I'd be a goner like your papi!"

"Antonio, please leave me alone."

"I was just a pup at the shelter and nobody wanted me."

"_Antonio_…"

"I began to lose all hope, but then I saw Jose and his family."

"_Antonio, please_…"

"They took me in and I was happy. I was finally part of a family, unlike you

fleabag and the rest in here." He laughed.

"_Hey_!" The springer spaniel barked at him. "Knock it off! Can't you see he's in a bad mood? He doesn't want to talk!" Antonio stopped laughing and went to her cage.

"And who's going to stop me? _You? Ha_; I don't _think_ so!" He then puffed out his chest and shook his collar.

"You see what's on my collar? A dog's license. Something you homeless dogs don't have because you don't have a home." He laughed and laughed. I became mad.

"Leave her _alone_!" I said and pounced, trying to fight him through the bars. He stopped and bent down to me.

"_Aw_! Are you trying to fight me but can't because you're in that cage? You

poor thing!" He laughed and laughed again as he watched my struggles. "You couldn't fight me anyway even if you could. You're tiny; I'm big; you're no match!" He laughed again. I stopped and sighed. He's right; fighting a big dog like him would be downright stupid.

"_Antonio!"_ A woman called. Antonio stopped.

"Well, that's my cue. See ya later if there _is_ a later!" He went out of the

door.

The door opened and out came a boy followed by Jose and a woman.

"There you are Antonio!" The boy said. Antonio barked deeply, knocking the boy down and licked him all over. The boy laughed.

_"Stop it, Antonio_!" He managed to playfully shove the dog off of him and stood up.

"So Papi, got any new dogs?" Jose then pointed a finger at my cage.

"I finally got that there Chihuahua. He's been giving me grief along with others, for a long time." The boy bent down to me.

"So, you've been giving my papi grief, huh?" He stood up and looked at his father. "What happened to the others?"

"Well, one of them escaped with him, but got hit by a car and the others all got shot I think. I saw the blood and the police taking the gunman away." The boy gasped.

_"Gosh_!" He looked at me, then back at his father. "So you saved him!" Jose gave a wicked smile.

"Yeah, I guess I did." I glared at him. _Saved _me; _how_? By taking me to the pound to make my life more miserable?

"Well," He continued. "You and your Mama go to the car, I'll close up the pound."

"Okay Papi." He looked at the English Mastiff. "Race you to the car!" Antonio barked his loud bark and was off, racing beside the boy out the door. The woman followed behind. Jose shut off the lights and headed out the door.

As the days passed, people came to the pound to look at us. When I asked the springer spaniel, she said they were looking to 'adopt.' When I asked what she meant by that and she explained, I got excited. I was still sad about my Chihuahua family but I couldn't wait to live with another family! I shook all over with excitement.

Each time that I thought I would get adopted, my uncontrollable shaking got the best of me. Whenever they saw me shake, they shook their heads with disapproval or children would cower behind their parents. I was then sent to my cage. Guess they didn't know that it was natural for a Chihuahua to shake.

A week later, my cage opened and Jose picked me up.

"Well little fella, I hate to do this, but since no one wants you; I got to put you down." My eyes widened. _What_? Because no one wants me, I got to be put down? _No! No! NOOOO!_ That's totally unfair! I struggled and struggled but he had a firm grasp on me. "I'm sorry, but since no one wants you, this is how it has to be." I barked and barked, making dogs stare. "Come on you, don't make this any harder then it has to be. You're making the other dogs stare." I didn't care though; I just kept on barking.

_"THIS MAN IS ABOUT TO KILL ME! IF YOU ALL DON'T GET ADOPTED, THE SAME FATE WILL HAPPEN TO ALL OF YOU! HELLLLPPPPPP! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" _

I then saw Ricardo in the doorway.

_"Excuse me_?" He said.

"Can't you see I'm busy?" Jose told him. "I have to put this dog down, I'll be with you in a couple minutes." Ricardo then looked into my pleading eyes. I could tell he was now thinking hard.

"_Wait!_" He said. He got something out and showed it to the man. "I'd like to buy that dog; how much?"

"Well, he's all yours." Jose said as soon as Ricardo handed him a piece of paper.

"_Gracias_!" He responded. He picked me up and headed towards the door.

"You lucky dog." I heard Jose murmur under his breath as he watched me go.

"You know," Ricardo told me as we walked to the car. "I used to have a dog. A pug. His name was Cortez. Man, Cortez and I had some good times together. Good times!" He then looked sad. I whimpered. He smiled and petted me between the ears.

"But he was an old dog when he died. He was only sixteen; 112 in people years."

When we got to the car, Ricardo put me in and buckled me in. He buckled himself in and we were off.

When Ricardo put me down on the floor of his house, he gave me a pat.

"You'll make a fine birthday present to my lovely Isabella." He then got up and walked into another room and picked up a big bag that we bought from a store before we came here along with some dog toys and a leash. I looked around the room, amazed. I had never have been in a human's house before.

I was about to go explore when Ricardo whistled at me. I looked at him, confused.

"_Come on doggie_!" He said. "I got dog treats for you!" I went to him. He pointed down at a bowl (Which we also bought.) with mini dog bones in it. "Come on, eat up!" I looked at the dog treats.

Now, I had dog before at the pound before and I didn't like them very much. I gave Ricardo a questioning look.

_"Go on_!" He urged me. "It's dog food. Dogs like you go nuts for this stuff." I looked back down at my bowl Aw, what the heck! Maybe these would be better. I then chowed them down. I then gagged and spat them out; it was dry and gross, like at the pound. These were better then the pound's dog food I must admit, but they were still bad. I couldn't stomach it. I made an apologetic sour face at Ricardo. Ricardo was shocked.

"You don't like it?" He scratched a finger against his chin. "I don't understand it." I went to explore, but not before I lapped some water from the water bowl to get the taste out of his mouth.

Before I left his bedroom, something caught my eye. They looked kind of like a pair of shoes, yet they weren't. My stomach growled. I was a little hungry; I hadn't eaten since the pound. I looked at them again. Again, my stomach growled. I had to eat something or I'd starve. I decided to chew on the shoes; a dog's got to eat, right? Hopefully, Ricardo won't mind. I went over to them and sank my teeth in one. _MMMM_, this isn't half bad, it felt good on my teeth too. I chewed and chewed. When one was soggy and torn up, I spat it out and moved on to the next.

"_Not my slippers_!" Ricardo said when he saw me. I looked up at him and cocked my head. Sorry, I was hungry. Was I _not _supposed to do that? He then snatched the destroyed slipper away from me and glared at me.

_"Bad dog_!" He looked at it and at the other one. He looked back at me. "They were my favorite pair." I felt bad for him. I stood on all fours and cuddled against him, whimpering. I put on my 'I'm sorry; I didn't mean it. Can you forgive me?' face. He looked at me and chuckled. He scratched me between the ears.

"Oh, I can't stay mad at you. I can always get another pair, no harm done."

Suddenly, we heard a ring from downstairs. I ran to the top of the stairs to see whom it was, barking. Ricardo followed me.

The sound was coming from the door downstairs. I barked and barked. _Come on, can't you see someone's at the door_! Ricardo chucked again as I kept on barking when it rang again.

"Okay, I'll get it!" He went down the steps and opened it. I stopped barking and wagged my tail, eagerly waiting to see whom it was.

The door opened. There stood Alicia and Roul, the father and daughter from the futbol game.

"Alicia, Roul_; welcome_!" Ricardo greeted. Roul and Ricardo shook hands. Alicia bent down to me and petted me.

"Hey doggie!" I barked and gave her a lick. She laughed. Roul looked at her daughter.

"Well," He started. "The dog seems to be a real charmer on children."

"He sure is." Ricardo agreed. "He sure is."

_"Alicia_." Roul told his daughter. "Wash your hands and then you can have a grilled cheese." Alicia bounded to her feet with a happy grin.

"Yay; grilled cheese!" She then dashed to the bathroom.

"_Hey, Mr. Garcia-Shapiro_?" Alicia asked when they were eating their grilled cheese sandwiches. I laid against her legs.

"Yes, Alicia?" Ricardo wanted to know.

"Why isn't the dog eating? Won't he starve?"

"I tried giving him dog food but he refused to eat it, He did drink water out of his water bowl though. I'll try to give him dog food again when you and your papi leave."

"Okay."

"_Psst, doggie_!" Alicia whispered to me. I looked at her. She had a piece of her grilled cheese in her hand. She offered it to me. "Here! _Quick_; before Papi and Ricardo find out." I looked at it. Hmmm, should I? It does look good. "Hurry!" Oh what the heck! I took the grilled cheese in my mouth and chowed it down, licking my chops. Hmmmm; tasty! Alicia patted my head.

"Good dog; you must like that very much; you chowed it right down!" Yes I did! I then cocked my head at her; is there more? She stopped patting me.

"Sorry dog; I can't give you any more. Papi won't like it."

"Won't like _what_?" I heard Alicia's papi ask.

_"Nothing_!" Alicia said, She was so surprised by her father's sudden question that her elbow hit the table. When her elbow made contact, her plate went flying and her grilled cheese fell on the floor. I shot out from under the table and began eating it.

"_Alicia_," Roul said to her firmly. "Were you feeding him a piece of your grilled cheese?"

"No." He furrowed his eyebrow.

_"Alicia_; are you telling me the truth?" Alicia slumped her shoulders and looked at the ground.

"No."

"Oh Alicia; you know I don't like fibs. You also know that dogs shouldn't have people food, not without permission. Now, apologize to Mr. Garcia-Shapiro." Alicia looked up at Ricardo.

"I'm sorry Mr. Garcia-Shapiro. It's just that I didn't want him to starve!"

"I understand," Ricardo said. "And it's all right; plus he seems to be really enjoying it." He then scratched his chin. "Strange. I never heard of a dog who likes grilled cheese sandwiches." He looked at the girl. "Do you want me to make you some more?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks anyway."

"Then you can wash up." Roul told her. "After that you can watch TV, then it's off to bed."

"Can the dog come with me?"

"If it's alright with Mr. Garcia-Shapiro, it's alright with me." Alicia looked at him.

"Can I, Mr. Garcia-Shapiro?" Ricardo nodded.

"It's alright with me." He replied. Alicia beamed.

_"Gracias_!" She looked at me. "Come on doggie!" I followed her, leaving Ricardo and Roul to clean the table and the now cheesy slobbery mess on the floor.

I never saw a TV before, so I was surprised when I saw the characters on the screen. I pawed at the TV barking. _Hey_! There're little people trapped in this box with the lights! Somebody; help them! Alicia laughed and went over to pick me up.

"You silly dog!" She said to me. "That's just the TV. Come sit with me." She sat on the couch with me laying on her lap. I looked at her and cocked my head at her, confused. I don't understand. Those humans are trapped in the magic box. Isn't somebody going to help them out?

Alicia patted me. Contented by the pet, I laid back down. I figured that since Alicia wasn't concerned that everything was all right, but still I wondered.

The next morning, I was awoken with a sudden noise. I sat upright. What was that? It was loud and blaring. I jumped down from the bed where I slept with Alica and went to the door, which was ajar. I opened it with my nose and I bounded out.

I then saw Ricardo with the monster that was making the noise. I barked and barked. Ricardo! Stop that noise; it's scaring me! Ricardo!

Ricardo then stopped the noise. I stopped barking. Oh, thank goodness; you stopped!

"_ALICIA_!" He then shouted. "Can you settle down the dog? I'm trying to vacuum!" I cocked my head. _Vacuum_? It that what he was doing? My thoughts were then interrupted when someone picked me up and patted me. I looked to see who it was; it was Alicia. The sound then started up again, I started my loud barks again.

"It's alright, doggie." Alica comforted me. "It's just the vacuum cleaner." I stopped barking and looked at her. Vacuum cleaner? Is that what that monster is called? I looked at the 'vacuum cleaner'. _Hmmmm_, these humans sure have strange names for these things.

_"Okay_," Ricardo said as soon as he killed the noise. "We got three hours before Isabella and Vivian gets here. Alicia; have you had your breakfast yet?"

"Yes." The girl responded.

"Good. Now, let's get to work." They then started putting something up. Roul helped too. I cocked my head, wondering what on earth were they doing. Alicia came to my side and placed a cone shaped hat on my head. She had the same hat on her head. I looked at her. What was she up to?

_ "Okay_," Ricardo spoke when they seemed to be all done. "One last thing." She looked at Alicia. "_Alicia_? Care to do the honors?"

"_Sure!_" She answered. She then went to her papi who gave her something. I looked puzzled, wondering what it was. She then came back to my side and placed it on my head, near my funny shaped hat. I was more confused then ever now. Can anyone tell me what the heck was going on?

"Isabella will have the best birthday ever now!" Alica spoke, excitedly.' The door rang. She jumped up and down. "_She's here; she's here!"_ Roul put a hairy hand on her head.

"Calm down, Alicia." Alicia stopped jumping. Ricardo opened the door and there was a girl and a woman on the other side.

_"DADDY_!" The girl shouted, running in her dad's arms. Her dad scooped her up.

_"ISABELLA_!" Her papi responded. "And how is the birthday girl doing today?"

_"Great,_ dad!" She replied. She then showed him a long piece of clothing. "Look Dad, I'm now an official member of the Little Sparks!" She showed him something that was on it. "I already got my first patch for joining!"

"Oh, that's wonderful honey!" He then looked at her. "How was the plane ride?"

"_Great_! Because it was my birthday, they gave me a free Apple Juice and free pancakes!"

"That's great! Now, there're some people here that want to wish you a happy birthday." He then lowered Isabella to the floor. Isabella raced upstairs.

_"ALICIA_!" Isabella cried out.

_"Isabella_, happy birthday!" She said.

_"Thanks_!"Roul shook her hand.

"Happy birthday, little lady."

"Thank you!" Isabella then noticed me.

_"Awww_! You got another dog, daddy? How cute!" She then petted me, scratching me under the chin. "Hi doggie; how you doing today?" She then noticed me shaking. She turned to her father.

"Dad, why is the dog shaking?"

"I can answer that!" Alicia piped in before Ricardo could say anything.

Isabella looked at her. "I learned about Chihuahuas at school. They shake like that because they're excited, cold or stressed." _Wow_, this girl was smart! Bet if they stick around me, they know that I do it a _lot _more then a normal Chihuahua! Isabella then noticed that I didn't have a collar. She looked at her father.

"Hey dad, why doesn't your dog have a collar?"

"Well," Her dad started. "Because I didn't intend on keeping this dog." Isabella looked puzzled. She stopped petting me.

_"Why_?"

"Because if it's alright with you; I was hoping it could be your gift from me." She then beamed.

_"Really_?"

"What?" Isabella's mom wanted to know. "But Ricardo, I didn't say you can…"

"I know." Ricardo answered. "If you say no, I'll keep him."

"So, I can keep him, dad?" Isabella asked.

"Well, if it's alright with your mother." Her father replied. Isabella looked at the woman.

"Can I mom?" Her mom hesitated.

"Well, I don't know dear." She told her. "A dog is a big responsibility." Isabella stood up.

"Oh, _please_ mom! I promise to take real good care of it! Phineas got a pet platypus."

"I just don't know."

"You don't have to decide now, Viv." Ricardo assured her. "Not when there're gifts to be opened." Isabella's eyes lit up.

"There's _more?_" She wanted to know.

"Oh, si, there is! You didn't think a dog was going to be your only present, did you? Besides, if your mom said you can't have him, I didn't want you to go back to America empty-handed, not on your birthday."

Opening her gifts, she got something called a 'bike,' 'books,' and 'a bow that matched her clothes'. Afterwards, Isabella's father asked her a question.

"So, where do you want to go?" Isabella thought a bit then had an idea.

"The zoo!" She said.

"Okay, to the zoo it is. We'll have lunch there. It's 11:30 right now, if we get there at noon, we'll have six hours until it closes." Isabella bolted to her feet.

"Then let's _go_!" I bolted upright as well. Am I going too?

As soon as the latch closed on the fence with me on the other side; I figured I wasn't going.

_"Good-bye, dog_!" Isabella spoke to me. "I would bring you to the zoo with us, but unfortunately, the zoo staff doesn't allow me to."

_"Isabella_!" Ricardo shouted from the car.

_"COMING DAD_!" She hollered at him. She looked back at me. "See you soon!" She then left me, running towards the car.

As soon as they left, I chewed on the tennis ball that Ricardo had left me. I chewed and chewed until it was nothing. I then lapped at my water bowl. My food bowl was also there but I didn't eat from it.

I then yawned. I was growing bored and I didn't know when they'd be back. With nothing to do, I laid on my paws and closed my eyes.

"I'm back dog!" Isabella's voice woke me up. I looked at the sky. It was now dark. I looked at her. "I'll get you out." I stood up as she unlocked the lock and the gate opened. I strolled out. She closed it. I jumped into her arms, making her laugh. She looked at my food bowl.

"_Aw_, you haven't touched you food bowl." I whimpered and lowered my head in shame. I'm sorry, was I suppose to?

"No worries!" She said. "Dad said your favorite was grilled cheese sandwiches. Come on; I'll ask dad to make you one." And with that, we went into the house.

That night I had a grilled cheese sandwich. After that, Alicia, Isabella and I watched TV. I sat in Isabella's lap after I barked at the TV (I was still certain that the people were still trapped).

The next few days, Isabella and her family did stuff. Most of them without me but some of them with me. I felt sad when they left without me, but felt rejoice when they came back. I had a morning walk before they left and if it wasn't too late, a walk when they returned (I had the leash and collar of Ricardo's old dog, tightened quite a ways.)

Then, one day, Isabella was taking me for a walk where there were bodies of water on either side of us. Alicia was with us and Ricardo and the woman, who I learned was named Vivian. They were walking behind us.

"Careful Isabella," Vivian warned her. "You don't want to fall in."

"I'll be careful, mom." Isabella assured her. "I know I don't have my 'I know how to swim' patch yet."

Suddenly, Isabella tripped on a stone on the stone pier we were walking on. She tried to catch her balance when…._SPLASH!_ She fell in. 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_"HELP; HELP_!" Isabella cried, flaring her arms. "I CAN'T SWIM! MOMMY, DADDY, SOMEBODY, HELLLPPPPPPP!"

_"ISABELLA_!" Alicia, Roual and Isabella's parents shouted, their faces filled with fear.

I had to do something! I experienced pain when I lost my family and I didn't want the same for these kind people! After all, Ricardo saved my life; the least I could do was saved his daughter's.

I didn't hesitate. I ran to the water and jumped right in. I dogpaddled towards the little girl.

_ "HELP, HELP_!" She screamed. "MOM, DAD, ANYBODY, _HELLPPPP_! I barked to get her attention. She turned and looked at me. She swam to my side and hung onto Cortez's collar. When she had a firm grip, I dogpaddled towards where she could climb out. She grabbed ahold of the ladder and just stood there, trembling with fear.

_"Isabella!_" Her mom called down to her. "It's all right; just climb out!" Isabella looked at her mom.

"I can't!" She said. "I'm afraid I'll slip and fall back in!" Ricardo went to the edge of the ladder and extended his hand out.

"Don't worry!" He assured her. "Just climb to where I can reach you; I won't let you fall!" She trembled again.

"I-I'm scared!" I barked in encouragement. _Just listen to your papi; when he says it'll be alight it'll be all right! And don't worry, I'm here too; I won't let you drown! _

_ "Just don't look down, Isabella!" Alicia added._

"Okay." She slowly started to climb out, one foot after the other.

"That's it, Isabella!" Her papi said. "Don't look down." Isabella screamed when her foot slipped. When she was about to fall in, her papi grabbed her just in the nick of time! The others sighed in relief.

"There we go." He pulled her in. Her mom ran to hug her now soaked child.

"Oh, _Isabella!_" Her mom cried, hugging her close with tears in her eyes. "My poor baby; I thought I lost you! What a mother's worst nightmare that would've been!"

"And now for the hero." Ricardo said. With that he went down the ladder. I paddled to the steps and wagged my tail.

Wow, a hero! What a nice thing to say! Ricardo grabbed me and carried me up.

When he got all the way up, he put me down on the cement. I shook the water out of my fur and went towards Isabella. So did Ricardo.

"Thank you for saving me!" Isabella said, petting me between the ears, "You are a really nice dog." I barked and licked her all over, forcing her to laugh. No problem, it was nothing!

"It just goes to show that anybody can be a hero," Ricardo put in. "Human, animal; any size or form. What a wonderful pet to have…that is if your mom lets you." Isabella looked at her mom.

"Can I, mom?"

"Well…" Her mom said, thinking.

_"Please_? He saved my life." I put on my best dog face for her. _Yeah, pleasssseeeeeee! "Awwww!" _Isabella cooed and sat me in her lap. "Looks; he wants to go, too. What do you say, mom?"

"You know they have to quarantine him first before he gets shipped to America." Isabella looked puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"They have to check him for fleas and disease." Her papi explained. "So when he's in the States, he's a healthy pup."

"Is that the only way they'll let him live with us?" Isabella's mom nodded.

"It can be weeks or months before they let him stay with us. Are you sure you want him? We can get a dog in the States. It'll be less of a hassle." Isabella and I then looked into each other's eyes. The girl looked at her mama again.

"No, I want him. I know I'll have to wait, but it'll all be well worth it when I get my new puppy."

"Very well then, it's settled. We'll have him." Isabella looked at me, excitedly.

"Did you hear that? You're coming home with me!" I panted excitedly, wagging my tail. She hugged me.

Then from the corner of my eye, I saw an axolotl in the water and he was… wearing a hat? What was up with that? He then took out a squarish mobile device and typed in something. When he was done, he put it away and swam off. I was confused. What the heck just happened?

"What are you going to call him?" Alicia asked. Isabella withdrew me and looked at me. She was thinking hard.

I would tell them my name was Gabriel, but since these were humans and I was a dog, they wouldn't understand me. I was fine by having my name changed, preferably not to 'dog' though.

"Pinky." Isabella finally said.

_"Pinky_?" Alicia questioned. "Because your favorite color is pink?"

"Yeah and that he looks like a Pinky.'

"I guess that's true."

"You like your name, Pinky?" I licked her on the nose, making her laugh, and barked. _Whatever makes you happy!_ She then hugged me again.

"Then Pinky it is."

I had to wait thirty whole days before I could go home with Isabella. As each day passed. It seemed like forever and I was afraid I was never going to get out. But on the thirtieth day, I leapt for joy knowing that the wait was over.

After the plane landed, I bounded out the door. I sped so fast that the woman holding onto my leash was forced to let go. She called after me but I just kept on running, barking with joy. I expected to see my family when someone spoke.

"Are you, Pinky?" I looked up. It was a woman. "Are you going home with a Isabella Garcia-Shapiro?" I nodded. How did she know? She then bent down to my level and extended her hand.

"Pleased to meet you." She said. "I am Wanda Acronym, one of the leaders of an organization called the Organization Without a Cool Acronym, or the O.W.C.A for short. Won't you shake my hand?" I looked at her hand and wondered if I should trust this woman. I then decided. Aw, what the heck! I extended my paw and shook it.

"The work we do is secret. Can you follow me so that we can discuss this further in private?" She looked at some doors. "Let's see if the bathroom is empty." She started towards them. I didn't budge. She stopped and looked at me. "Come on Pinky, I know you haven't seen your owners for 30 days, but I promise, this won't take long." I looked at her. How does she know all of this stuff?

"I see; I'm sorry I have to do this." She went to me and picked me up. I barked a cry of help. _Helllppppp!_ _This crazy woman is taking me hostage_! She put a hand to my mouth, muffling my frantic yips.

_"Shhhh,_ don't worry, everything will be all right. I won't hurt you." She carried me through one of the doors.

She then sat me down on the tile floor and scanned the area.

"Is anyone in here?" She asked. "_Hello? Hellloooooo_!" When we didn't hear a reply, she turned back to me. She bent down to her knees.

"Now listen," She spoke to me. "Like I said before, I'm one of the leaders of the O.W.C.A., an espionage agency. Every one of our agents is an animal. Now, you might have seen one of our agents, Agent Anjel the Axolotl of the Mexican division?" I nodded. So, _that's_ why he had a mobile device and hat on!

"He texted me about what you did for your owner and I was very impressed." _Yeah? So what are you getting at?_

"What I'm getting at is, all of us talked about it and we want you to join." What? What does she mean? Does she mean that I'll be a hero and rescue people every single day?

"You'll do more then rescue people. You'll disarm bombs and other heroic acts. Basically, you'll fight your nemesis." Nemesis? What the heck is that?"

"I suppose you have a million questions right now. When you get to your new home; I'll be waiting for you at the fence and show you what'll you'll do if you decide to join. Now, go to your owners. I'm sure they're looking for you." She then led me out.

I saw Isabella and her mom right away. I barked and ran to them.

_"Pinky_!" Isabella said, hugging me as I jumped in her arms.

"I see you escaped the woman in charge of you." Isabella's mom observed. Isabella stood up.

"Come on, let's go and show you your new home." And with that, Isabella picked me up and she carried me out of the building, followed by her mom.

"Look at what we brought you!" Isabella told me when we were in the car. I looked, it was a new collar. Something was engraved on it, but I couldn't read it, but I imagine it was 'Pinky.' Isabella put it around my neck.

"You like it?" She asked. I barked, looking at my license. She laughed and then pointed at a mini mobile cage. I froze.

"We also brought you a kennel! Well, go ahead, try it." I just looked at her. I don't want to be locked up again! She picked me up and put me in. I looked in it then back at her.

"We also brought you food, some chew toys and a new leash! They're at home!"

When Isabella's mom opened up the car door when we were at our destination, I jumped out and l bounded for the fence. I hated ditching Isabella and her mom when they bought me home, but I wanted to know more about the O.W.C.A.

"Where's Pinky going?" Isabella's mom wanted to know. "Uh, oh. Should we be concerned?"

"Don't worry, Mom." Isabella told her. "Phineas says his pet does this too; he'll be back."

"Well, if you say so."

At the fence, I sniffed, trying to pick up Wanda's scent. Where was she? She told me to meet me at the fence when I came home. I then heard something.

_"Pinky_!" The voice called. I looked up; there she was on the other side of the fence. "I'm glad you gave more thought to this, I'll show you our headquarters." She opened the gate. I went to the other side and she closed it behind me. I then followed her out of the backyard.

"This is the O.W.C.A headquarters." She informed me when we reached the building. "Come on; I'll show you inside." We went inside.

_"Now_," She spoke when we were inside. "We got several divisions here. You'll be stationed in my division." When we were at a door, she produced keys from her pocket, and opened the door. "Now, come this way."

"This, Agent P, is your lair." I looked at her. _Agent P?_ Has she forgotten my name already? "Oh, you're probably wondering why I called you Agent P instead of your name." I nodded. _Yes, please explain_. "Well, I used that name because that'll be your code name when you're working here. I'll also call you Agent Pinky because an agent that just started his training last month in Francis Monogram's division, also is called Agent P because he's a platypus, that or his name is Perry. I don't know what goes in Monogram's mind when he names his agents." She then changed the subject. "Now, I must caution you Agent P, this job involves a lot of risks. It may be life-threatening at times but it all comes down to a good cause in the end, knowing that you did a good job. Do you still want this job?" I hesitated. This job _doe_s sound exciting, but if it was life threatening, I don't know. If anything happened to me while I was on the job, oh, I don't even want to think of having Isabella going through all that. I can't; I won't.

"I know it's a lot to think about. Tell you what, Agent Pinky? Why don't you come back tomorrow morning when you have fully decided. Bark for me; I'll be here." I nodded. Okay.

"I hope you join Agent P, you'll be happy when you do." I don't know about that. "Well, I hope to see you tomorrow." I stayed there for a second, and then trotted out of the building and back towards Isabella's house.

Isabella and her mom had just got out the door when I arrived.

"Oh, there you are, Pinky." Isabella said. "Mom and I were just going to look for you."

"It looks like we don't have to now." Isabella's mom observed.

_"See_ Mom?" Isabella told her mother. "He's like Perry, he came back."

"I see. Well, I'll put dinner on the table. Why don't you show Pinky to your friends?"

"Great idea, mom!" Isabella's mom then went inside. Isabella picked me up. "Come on Pinky, I want to show you to my friends." I barked with joy. _Oh boy, I can't wait to meet them_! And so we went down the road hill and across the street.

_ "Phineas, Ferb_!" Isabella called to two boys as we entered their backyard. "I'm back!"

"Did Pinky come home?" The pointy nosed kid asked. The other kid with a rectangle face looked at me.

"Looks like he came back." He spoke. Phineas went to two other kids as well, an overall wearing kid and a kid with a human skull on his shirt. Isabella put me on the grass so that they could have a better look at me.

"Hey, Pinky," Pointy nosed kid said to me. "I'm Phineas," He pointed behind him. "That's my stepbrother, Ferb." He pointed to the other kids. "And those are our friends; Baljeet and Buford." Baljeet waved at me.

"Hello." Baljeet said. "So, Isabella, this is the great Pinky you were talking about." He looked at Buford. "Buford, say hello."

_ "Nah_!" He responded with a shrug. "I don't go dog- crazy. It'll ruin my tough guy reputation." Isabella looked around like she was looking for someone or something. She looked back at Phineas.

"Hey Phineas," She spoke to him. "Where's Perry?"

"Not back yet." Phineas answered. Then a plump animal I never saw before, appeared out of the bushes. It looked like a combination of a beaver and a duck.

"Oh, there you are, Perry." Phineas said as Perry came closer. "Perry, this is Pinky. The dog Isabella's dad gave her for her birthday last month when she and her mom went to Mexico. Well, we're going to let you get acquainted." The kids then went into the house.

_"Hi!"_ I greeted Phineas' pet, shaking.

"Hello." He greeted right back. "Are you all right?"

"Oh yes, I'm just shaking because I'm excited; it's a Chihuahua thing to shake when they're excited, stressed, or cold."

"Do they shake all the time?"

"Nope, that's a me thing that I cannot help."

"Okay."

"Say, don't mind me asking, but what kind of animal are you? You look like a combination of a beaver and a duck, no offense."

"I get that a lot, and, probably more to come in the future. I'm a platypup, but I'll be a platypus when I'm older."

"Oh, well I'm just a puppy for now, but I'll grow up to be a dog."

"I know."

"Oh." I then felt stupid as I just stated a fact that he already knew. "Say, where were you just now?"

"Nowhere." He was about to go in, but I stood in his way.

"No, you were somewhere. You had to be!"

"Oh, I was just in the bushes sleeping. I had just woken up." I stopped him again as he tried to go inside.

"And your owner didn't know?" He shook his head.

"_Nope_! Now, can I go inside?"

"Oh, sorry." I let him pass.

That night, I was envisioning the scene where I jumped in the water to save Isabella.

"Thank you for saving me." I remembered Isabella saying as she hugged me. I smiled in my sleep as I remembered that heart-warming scene. "Hero" Ricardo called me. I liked the sound of that, 'hero.' I felt proud when I saved her.

And then I remembered saving Enrique and Papi from the pound. I was a hero to them too. Even though I'm miles away from Pedro and Enrique and I sadly will never see my beloved Papi again, I also felt proud when I saved them.

I then remembered Wanda's words. "You'll do more than rescue people. You'll disarm bombs and other heroic acts." I didn't know what she meant by 'disarm bombs', but I guessed it was good.

I then woke up and shot my head up. I then decided at that moment; aw, what the heck! An agent; that was the job for me. I would do good acts for all humans and animals alike (even cats) I was _born_ to be a hero!

Of course, I will have to leave Isabella and her mom when I went out on my job; I dreaded the thought of that, but when I came home knowing that I did a good job, it'll all be worth it. Plus, my owners won't spend all their time with me; they need their time by themselves too. And when Isabella doesn't want to play with me, instead of just locking me up behind a fence, forcing me to die of boredom, I would be out being a hero!

And with that, I went back to sleep.

_"Morning Pinky_!" I heard Isabella say. I opened my eyes to see her cheery face. "Let's go get some breakfast." She went downstairs. I got up and stretched and yawned. I then followed her downstairs.

As soon as I finished lapping up my milk from my bowl, I went to the door. I pawed it, showing them that I wanted to go out.

_"Mom_!" Isabella called from her chair. "I think Pinky wants to go out."

"Okay," Her mom said. "Whatever he wants." She went by my side and bent down.

"You want to go out?" I looked at her. _No, I'm just pawing at the door to sharpen my nails._ She stood back up and opened it.

"There you go, little fella." I ran out. "If you're going to pee, keep it in our yard!"

I headed towards HQ with the help of my nose.

I went inside and looked for Wanda Acronym. What I saw surprised me, I saw Perry. _Perry?_ Instead of walking on all fours like yesterday, he was walking on two feet, like a human! I went to him.

_"Perry?_" I said. He turned to me, also surprised to see me.

_"Pinky?_" He wanted to know. "What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"Uh…my squeaky toy accidently was tossed in here. I'm just looking for it, then I'll be on my way!"

"Are you an agent?" He then was shocked.

"Uh…_no?"_

"Oh come on; yes you are! If you weren't, why are you here in the O.W.C.A headquarters?"

"I…I…I'm just stretching my legs?"

"I know what you're doing and don't worry. Wanda told me this was a secret organization and that nobody must know about it." Perry sighed, defeated.

"You're right. I'm training to become an agent. I didn't know you were an agent too."

"Not yet."

"Well, you're going to love it here. This was my dream job. Of course, I have two more months of training left to do, but in the end, it'll be all worth it."

"I don't know."

"But you want to be an agent, don't you? Isn't that why you're here?"

"Well, half of me is saying yes. The other half is saying no. I just got to be a part of a family with Isabella and her mom. I know that she won't play with me all the time, but I can't help thinking if I go on my missions, what if she tries to find me? She may think I ran away or something. I can't do that to her." I looked at Perry. "What do you think I should do?"

"I think you should be an agent."

"But what if…" Perry put a hand on my side.

"Look, I know it's tough. I think about my owners all the time when I'm here. I think what if they miss me and try to find me, or what if something happens to me that prevents me from coming home? But then I think, 'this is my dream job, I can't think about this now,' the point is, stop worrying. Is this what you really want?"

"Yes."

"Then go for it."

"But…"

"Don't worry, just go; it'll be all right." I took in a deep breath, determined.

"I will! I got nothing to worry about; I'm going to be an agent!"

"That's the spirit! Good luck!"

"Thanks; you too!" He and I then went our separate ways.

"Aw, there you are Agent Pinky!" Wanda said as soon as she saw me. "I'm glad you decided to join; you will fit right in! So, are you ready to start your three month training?" I barked.

"Okay, first thing to do is to stand and walk your on two hind feet, or in your case, paws."

"Okay Agent Pinky," Wanda told me after three months. I was standing on my two feet (During the whole training, standing on two feet and walking like you're a human was harder then I thought. I kept falling over. But, at the end of my training, I got it down like I was walking like a human my whole life)"Your training is complete and you did splendidly; you must be feeling proud of yourself." I barked.

"Okay, tomorrow you will get your fedora and your other agent equipment you need and you'll officially be sworn in. Now, get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow." I barked with a salute and went off on all fours.

"Oh, there you are, Pinky." Isabella said to me when I came home. "I got something to show you." She picked me up and brought me to the front door.

"Well, what do you think?" I looked at the door. I didn't get it, _what? _The door looked the same to me. Then I looked lower. There was now a mini door on the bigger door. I looked at Isabella, what did she do to the door?

"It's a dog door." She explained to me. "So now you can come and go as you please without us having to open the door for you." Oh, now I got it! I tried it, going in and out a few times. I looked back at Isabella and jumped in her arms. I licked her to show her how grateful I was. This dog door is just perfect! She laughed.

"You're so welcome, Pinky. It was my idea after all." She then carried me inside (The human door, _no_t the dog door).

The next morning, after I lapped up my milk, I headed for the door.

"Going to do your thing?" Isabella asked. "Okay, bye Pinky!" I barked a goodbye, scurried out the dog door and ran to O.W.C.A

I didn't see Perry on my way. I gave him my invite; maybe he got there early. I went in the building.

"Hello, Agent Pinky." Wanda said to me. "This is your big day; are you ready?" I barked and shook with excitement. _You bet I am_!

"_Nervous_?" She asked. "Or is that a Chihuahua thing?" I looked up at her. Uh oh! Will this affect me not getting the job? "Well, don't worry about it. If you do the job, you can do that all you want." I barked. She giggled and motioned me to follow her.

"Then follow me, Agent Pinky. The fun starts this way." I followed her.

When we went though a door (a human door), I was greeted with cheery clucks, meows, squeaks, other joyous animal sounds and applause from the humans as well as the animals that couldn't speak. I then saw Perry at the end of the line. He was standing on his hind legs wearing his fedora he got last month. Peter the Panda nudged him.

"Hey Perry," He started. "Why is he shaking like that?"

"_Shhh_!" Perry told him. "Be nice. It's a Chihuahua thing."

"_All_ the time?"

"That's just a Pinky thing." The man that was next to them bent down.

"Hello Agent Pinky." He said, offering his hand. "I am Major Francis Monogram, but just call me Major Monogram."

"Don't forget about me, sir." Spoke a younger human next to him. He was wearing something over his eyes and dots on his face. Major Monogram looked at him, then back at me.

"Oh yes, Agent Pinky, this is my unpaid intern, Carl Karl." Carl bent down to me.

"Pleased to meet you."

_"Carl_!" Monogram scolded. "It's just a dog, not the Queen of England."

"Yes sir." He stepped back. Monogram looked at me again.

"Sorry about him, Agent Pinky. Anyways, I am head of Agent P, aka Perry's division." I looked at Perry. So, this was Perry's boss! I offered my paw and he shook it. "You're lucky that Perry is across the street, if you have any questions about the agency, just ask him." I looked at him. He gave me a thumbs-up. I smiled at him.

"And I'm Carla." Spoke a voice. I looked at her. "I'm like Carl; I'm Admiral Wanda's unpaid intern." No kidding! This woman looked like a female version of Carl with the glass things over her eyes and the dots on her cheeks, minus the little things on her ears and the crazy hair. I extended my paw and gave her a shake."I look forward to be working with you."

"Agent Pinky!" Wanda called me. I looked at her. She had a badge case in her hand. "Now's the time. Come on up here."

I knew what to do. I was at there when Perry was sworn in, and now it was my turn. I strolled up to the stage. When I was by her feet, I stood up on two feet and looked up at her. _Okay, I'm ready. _

_"Agent Pinky_," She began. "I, Wanda Acronym, swear you in as an official agent of the O.W.C.A!" She gave me my badge and grabbed a fedora and put it on my head. "Congratulations, Agent Pinky, we're happy to have you." I barked with a salute, as there was new applause for me. I smiled; I felt proud of myself. If Antonio saw me he would laugh and say 'you can't be an agent; you're too small, bad guys won't take you seriously!' But I won't let that stop me, like Mama used to say, "good things comes in small packages." And Pedro's mama, 'you're as big as you feel"; nothing made me feel bigger than this exact moment.

"Oh, there you are, Pinky." Isabella said to me when I came back. "Ready for dinner? It's your favorite, grilled cheese." I barked with joy. She then petted me. "You're such a good boy, Pinky. You're my best birthday gift ever." I barked again as I followed her inside. I missed my old life with Pedro, Enrique, Mama, Papa, Ana and Diego, but I'm happy about my new life to, with Isabella, her mom, Perry and all of my other new friends I made…plus my double life as a pet to a secret agent. Nothing could be better.


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue

"And that is how I became an agent." I concluded.

"Why wasn't I in it? Biff questioned. "Perry was in it, Peter, Monogram and Carl were in it, even Buford was in it, but not me? I don't think that's fair."

"That's because we didn't know you. You weren't sworn in to the O.W.C.A until years later." Perry told the goldfish.

"I know." He admitted. "But the story would be better if I was in it."

"But that wouldn't have made it true." I reminded to the fish.

"So, who said it needed to be true?"

"Okay then. If you want a story where you're in it, why don't you tell us your story on how you became an O.W.C.A agent. Tell us your backstory!"

"Nah; mine isn't as good. A goldfish's life is pretty dull. My parents were adopted shortly after I was hatched, I got adopted from a pet shop and one day, I just decided, 'hey, if Perry and Pinky are agents, why can't I?' Plus, I remembered the octopus that took me from Buford and thought how cool it would've been if I fought that octopus all my myself instead of being a wimp doing nothing waiting to be saved by my owner." I looked at Perry.

"Want to tell us your backstory on how you became an O.W.C.A agent?" I asked him. "Or are you still going to tell us on the way back?"

"On the way back." Perry promised with a yawn. "So we have something to talk about. Let's just get some sleep until we get there."

"Good idea!" I agreed with a yawn as well.

And with that, Perry, Biff, and I all fell fast asleep.

I was awoken by Isabella's squeals.

_ "ALICIA_!" I heard Isabella shout.

_"ISABELLA_!" I heard Alicia yell. I yawned, stretched and looked out of my kennel and saw Isabella and Alicia, hugging each other. I smiled.

My kennel was on Isabella's mom's lap on a seat at the airport. The seat next to us was where Perry's kennel rested. Buford had Biff's bag in his hand. He was standing by his friends watching my owner reunite with her friend. Next to the kids were Candace, Mr. and Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher, and Alicia's dad. Isabella introduced Alicia and her dad to everybody, including us.

"How was my daughter's plane ride?" We heard a man question. We all looked; it was Ricardo!

"_DAD_!" Isabella yelled, rushing over and hugged him. He hugged her back. "Well, we better get going. There are a lot of things we need to do while you're here."

"Right, but before we do, let me introduce you to everyone." After introductions (again, including us), she grabbed my kennel and we went out of the airport.

When we were outside, two barks greeted me. To the humans, it was nonsense barking, but I understood perfectly.

"_Hey, It's Gabriel_!" I heard a familiar voice.

"Oh my gosh, _Gabriel_!" I looked around in my kennel and panted with excitement. I couldn't believe it, it was my two amigos: Pedro and Enrique!

"Are they Pedro and Enrique?" Perry asked me.

"Yes, they are." I answered. "Yes, they are."

On the car ride to Ricardo's place, I told Biff who we saw. We all agreed that as soon as we got to our destination, Perry, Biff and I would try to go see them. I'll have a lot to tell them and I bet they'll have lots to tell me. After all, we haven't seen each other for about five years. We have a lot to catch up on.

Background female singers: _Chewy, chewy, chewba, chewy, chewy, chewba!_

_Agent Pinky!_

Female singer: _He's a small, scrawny dog of action_!

Background female singers: _Chewy, chewy, chewba, chewy, chewy, chewba, chewy, chewy, chewba, chewy, chewy, chewba!_

Female singer: _If he wins, he'll be the main attraction_

_He never gives in to his fears_ (except maybe baths, loud noises, needles and other stuff dogs hate)

He'll give bad people tears!

He's always ready for a fight!

Because he's always doing what's right.

Background female singers: Chewy, chewy, chewba! Chewy, chewy, chewba!

Female singer: He's an expert at his job.

Just ask anyone, even a random guy named Bob.

Every girl swoons when they hear him say….

Pinky: (Barks)

Female singer: He's Pinky, Pinky the Chihuahua!

Wanda: You can just call him Agent P or Agent Pinky.

Female singers: Pinky, Pinky the Chihuahua!

Wanda: On second thought, just call him Agent Pinky.

Background female singers: Agent Pinky!


End file.
